Unsupervised Greystone Patient Choked To Death: Public Defender

MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — A patient at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, who required a special diet and supervision, choked to death last week after eating fast food, the New Jersey Public Defender's Office says. But the New Jersey Department of Health disputes the claim and says he died from an unrelated medical issue.

The patient, who hasn't been publicly identified, had two teeth and needed supervision while eating under his special diet, according to the Public Defender's Office. But they believe staff brought in food from outside of Greystone, which the patient choked on while unsupervised. The patient was hospitalized and died days later.

"We believe he passed away because he ate something he wasn’t supposed to eat and he wasn’t properly supervised," said Carl Herman, director of Public Defender's Office's mental health division. "And once he was choking on this item, he wasn’t given quick, serious medical attention and wound up choking to death."

The office has previously pursued legal action against the state-run hospital, claiming the hospital endangers patients and compromises their care. A settlement reached in November required that Gov. Phil Murphy's administration commits to adding more psychiatrists and improving mental and medical health care. Greystone must report its progress to a new oversight committee, which will last a decade.

Herman credits Greystone doctors who gave the Public Defender's Office information that helped lead to the settlement. The agency received information about the alleged choking incident from doctors, as well.

But a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health disputed their claims.

"On April 15, a Greystone patient suffered a medical emergency, not related to choking, and was transferred to the hospital," said health department spokesperson Dawn Thomas. The patient passed away at the hospital several days later."

Herman heard from doctors that once somebody sounded the alarm on the patient choking, it was too late. The Public Defender's Office continues to gather precise chronological information.

"I don’t know how long it took them (doctors) to get there," Herman said " ... It appears that by the time the doctors arrived and tried to help him, he was already in distress."

The Public Defender's Office continues to investigate and has made efforts to access the patient's medical records and see if he has family, Herman told Patch on Monday.

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